maybe i need a better camera

[ssra30]

First I assume you only used internal flash
Anyhow, if it is internal flash only, unless the water is crystal clear, I think you pretty much stuck with macro shots otherwise you are going to have a lot of backscatter regardless of what camera you use. You will get much better result when you shoot something that is no more than 1-2 feet away.

Underwater photography is going take awhile before you get comfortable with all the settings and know when and where to take the pictures.
Like Clive Francis say, digital camera learning curve is a bit faster as you get instant feedback so you know what to adjust but it is not impossible to learn to shoot with 35mm, just more films and practice.

 

[cmdasia]

First underwater camera I used was an MX5 also - the cruel hard truth is dump it your pics will not get any better.

Buy a digital with a plastic housing - the cost of housing and equipping the F80 (I use and F80/NX80/DS125/DX90/YS90/105/2x/60/20/custom port/port extender/dome port) to give you the a similar range of features to say a 5050 is $5000 compared to probably $1200 for 5050 - that a lot of money just becuase you have a $400 F80 body.

Sure people will tell you that you can better results with film (f80 NOT Mx5) - but that is not entirely correct - it depends which type of film you are using and believe you me the kodak from the local drug dont cut it - decent film (velvia) costs about 7 USD a roll. Go digital unless you have deep pockets

 

[Dee]

Your first thing is to get rid of the MX-5! You'll always get backscatter because the internal flash is right next to the lens, lighting up everything in the water.

But there are a few things you can do that will make a difference. You need to get closer to your subjects. Find out what your minumal focal distance is and use that as your guide.

Never shoot down on your subject if at all possible. It makes the photo look very flat. If you can, get below and shoot slightly up.

You can go with a digital camera for well under the prices quoted. Depending on where you buy, of course, you can get a C-5050 and Oly housing for $800-1000 outside. But unless you want to make alot of 8x10 prints, you can find C-3040/PT-10 for around $500. Personally, I prefer the models below the C-5050 for beginners.

One of the best things about digital cameras is the brighter lenses allow you to take photos in lower light without a strobe than with film. Plus the internal flashes are very powerful. In other words, you don't need a strobe right off the bat. In fact, I always recommend you shoot the first dozen or so dives with only the camera and internal flash. You will still get some backscatter but not as bad.

 

[lanun]

mx5 min focus is 3' for asa400, so there's a limit to the close-up i can do. and yes, it's only with an internal flash (thought the mx5-II has option for an external).

shooting up ... yup tried to do that a couple of times - attached an interesting one. see if you can spot the diver.

digital Vs film ... eventually will go digital. emotional attachment to film (bought me my first pair of blue jeans from the proceeds of my pic taking days ut.

as i work on technique, i'll think some more on what i want to do. anyways, thanks for the input.